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The hadith of Ibn Abbas: “The Prophet ﷺ prayed in an open space, with nothing in front of him.” (1) The word “nothing” is general and encompasses everything. There is some criticism of this hadith, though it is not severe; however, it is supported by the two preceding hadiths of Abu Sa'id and Ibn Abbas.
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The basic principle is that one is free of liability.
The second view is that using a sutrah is obligatory (2), because of the command to do so. They responded to the hadith of Ibn Abbas, “He prayed in an open space facing nothing,” by saying that it is weak (3). As for his hadith, “He prayed facing no wall,” they said that the negation of a wall does not necessarily negate anything else. The hadith of Abu Sa'id indicates that a person may pray facing a sutrah or without one, but the evidence commanding it indicates that he should pray facing a sutrah.
The evidence of those who hold that the sutrah is a sunnah—who are the majority (4)—is stronger, and this is the preponderant view. Even if there were no evidence other than the basic principle that one is free of liability, that would suffice: one’s liability should not be burdened with an obligation, nor should punishment be ruled except on the basis of clear evidence.
The majority responded to Ibn Abbas’s statement, “facing no wall,” by explaining that Ibn Abbas intended to use it as evidence that a donkey does not invalidate the prayer. Thus, he said, “facing no wall,” meaning: facing nothing that screened him.